Colo. Bin Laden Hunter Wants His Sword Back

Police Said Gary Faulkner Aimed To Lop Off Osama's Head

Gary Faulkner returned to the United States Wednesday and the top of his to-do list includes reclaiming his sword, pistol, night-vision gear, Christian books and other property Pakistan police seized when they found him in a forest trying to hunt down and killed Osama bin Laden on June 13.

Faulkner told police he was on a one-man mission to behead bin Laden and avenge the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. The United States government has offered a $25 million reward for the terrorist leader's capture.

"We have made a formal request of the American embassy that they recover all of his property including that (sword)," Faulkner's brother-in-law, John Martin of Grand Junction, told TheDenverChannel.com.

The bearded bounty hunter drew international attention -- called a hero by some and kooky by others -- and nicknames like "Rocky Mountain Rambo," "American Ninja" and "Christian Warrior."

Given highly publicized reports that Faulkner planned to use to the sword to lop off the terrorist leader's head, family members think it might fetch a hefty price at auction.

"I think when he gets back, that since he is in his own way a patriot, there may be causes out there that he might want to donate that (sword) to," Martin said. "I'm going to try to get him to auction that off for a cause, because I think it's memorabilia."

Faulkner, who departed Pakistan after being released Tuesday, was greeted by family members at Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday afternoon when he arrived on a flight from Dubai.

Faulkner was staying out of sight in a restricted area of the airport while awaiting his 8:40 p.m. flight to Denver, Call7 Investigator Tony Kovaleski reported from Los Angeles International. Faulkner and his family members are scheduled to land at Denver International Airport about midnight.

"(Faulkner's sister) Deanna is just tickled and so is her mom. They're really, really excited to see Gary," said Martin, Deanna's husband. "They got the news late yesterday that he was coming in. So, they're really looking forward to seeing Gary. It's been a while."

Family members flew to Los Angeles, where Faulkner has a seven-hour layover, both to welcome him home and let him know that he's become a celebrity of sorts during his nine days being held incommunicado in Pakistan and faces intense news media interest.

"That just seemed like an excellent time for his family, to embrace him and welcome him home and give him current event news, show him the clothes they bought for him, and ask him why in the hell he didn't bring his sword back," Martin said with a laugh.

"They're going to catch him up with his life," Martin said.

Deanna Faulkner proudly described her brother as a religious, patriotic American who "loves is country."

"I look at it this way: We've had enough Americans turning against their own country," she said. "If there's going to be something my brother's going to do, at least he's not turning against our country."

Pakistani authorities were perplexed by Faulkner's motives. They have stopped Americans in the past from trying to cross the border with Afghanistan to join al-Qaida but have never run into an American trying to cross the border to infiltrate the terror group and kill Osama bin Laden.

Last week, a senior Pakistani official said, "The U.S. national will be released if nothing substantive is found against him after the interrogation." The move to release Faulkner was hastened by his need for kidney dialysis.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation records show that Faulkner has a lengthy criminal record of minor offenses that date to the early 1980s. He served jail time in Colorado on three separate occasions for various charges, including second-degree burglary.